A/N – So…I was watching my sister's dvd of High School Musical the other day and I just had this idea. It seemed a little weird that Sharpay changed so quickly after the Breaking Free tryouts. She seemed alright with Gabby getting the lead and then hugged(?) Zeke…It just seemed a little OOC for her. So I started thinking…is that her real character, the Ice Queen/Princess, or is she just the best actress in the world? So I wrote this story, hope you like it.

Chapter One

Troy Botlon, Basketball King of the East High Wildcats, pushed past the swinging auditorium doors harshley. He let out a deep breath as the doors shut firm behind him. The school was going crazy! He thought that after the whole musicale fiasco with Gabrielle the students would be more accepting of different 'classes' of kids…but it was even worse! The students would go and mingle with the geeks, or the nerds, or the jocks, or the drama freaks, but then they would all go back to their own groups and tear down the others. It was insane!

He groaned as he walked down the aisle that lead to the stage, that wasn't even the worst part of it. He and Gabby had been going out for a couple of months now, ever since the musicale ended. Everything started out great…but then something changed. Gabby had become more clingy than Troy ever anticipated. Every time she saw him she would latch onto his arm and make a big scene, almost like she wanted the rest of the students to see that she was dating the B-Ball king. To be honest…he was getting pretty sick of it.

But Troy didn't have time to think on that as he heard the back stage door fly open. He quickly ducked behind a wall, the same wall that he and Gabby had hidden behind just a few months earlier. He peered around it, trying to see who it was who had just run onto the stage and was shocked to see that it was…Sharpay!

He was even more shocked to see that she was crying. He had never seen the Ice Queen cry before…he'd never really seen her show any emotion before…

Though, while he thought on it, something about that fact didn't seem quite right…

He brushed the thought aside as he watched Sharpay make her way to center stage.

"Eurgggg!" Sharpay yelled as she pulled her pink backpack off her shoulder and threw it onto the floor of the stage. She struggled with it for a moment or two as it got caught on her pink purse, but she quickly resolved that problem by throwing her purse down as well.

She let out another loud groan as she stiffly walked over to a small prop table that was set up near the corner of the stage. There wasn't much stuff on it, namely just some empty paint cans, some paint brushes, and a roll of used tape. The Art club had finished painting the set for the school's 'End of the Year Production' a few days ago.

Angrily, Sharpay knocked them off, not watching as they fell to the ground with a clank. Troy didn't notice either, he was too absorbed in watching Sharpay. Her hands were covering her eyes as she backed up to the wall near center stage, sliding down it to the floor, shoulders heaving as she cried.

Troy stood there for a few minutes in shock, just watching as Sharpay had a breakdown. He moved to leave his little alcove, to go comfort her, when her hands slid from her face and she looked up a the ceiling.

"This isn't fair!" she said. She was speaking normally, but with all her acting lessons, projecting just came naturally to her, and Troy could hear every word she said.

"I've done everything I can think of to prove you wrong!" she shouted, still staring at the ceiling, "But it isn't enough is it? Nothing is ever enough." She whispered.

She stood slowly, "Why did you have to say that mom?" she asked herself, she shook her head before mimicking someone, who Troy could only assume was her mother, "Sharpay, you can't act. You aren't the best, you won't always get the lead. There is someone out there better than you."

She bit her lip as she remembered her mother's words…the last words she had ever said to Sharpay. They had been angry words, they had gotten into an argument when Sharpay said she wanted acting classes after landing the lead in the third grade play.

She sighed, "But you were right…there was someone better than me…" she shook her head, hand balled into a fist by her chin and tears refilled her eyes. "It's not fair, I gave up everything to be the best! I gave up as much time as possible for all these stupid acting lessons." She threw her arms apart, "What do you want from me?!" she shouted, "I've got nothing left to give! I've got no time, I've got no life, I've got no friends!"

She fell to her knees, "I had to do it," she whispered, "I had to be the Ice Queen, I couldn't afford to have friends taking up all my time. I had to prove you wrong…but now what? Not ever Ryan will talk to me any more." Tears fell freely, up until now, Sharpay had been wiping them away furiously, trying to salvage her makeup, but she gave up. "I know what he says about me…I've heard him. He hangs out with all the jocks now, and I know what he says…he barely talks to me anymore..."

She took a deep breath as she cried harder, "He was the only one who knew me…who knew why I am the way I am…and now…" she let out a sob, "I can't even be myself around everyone…they'd think it was an act. No one knows me…no one wants to know me…The only friend I ever had besides Ryan forgot he was even my friend! I changed in the third grade, and everyone who knew me then forgot me now!"

She stood, "Does they think I like being like this?!" she shouted, "Do they think I like being the Ice Queen? The frigid bitch?" she started pacing across the stage, till she got to her pink purse, she glared at it, kicking it as far as she could. "I hate pink!" she yelled, "I hate these clothes! I hate these heels! I hate this make up!" She ferociously started swiping at her face, trying desperately to get the make up off. "I hate all of this!"

She sank down on the black piano bench, resting a hand on the keys. She had stopped crying admist her yelling, and was just staring at the keys. She strummed a few notes, before turning to face the keys.

She began a familiar tune, Troy stood mesmorized, he didn't know Sharpay knew how to play piano…

I will not make the same mistakes that you did
I will not let myself
Cause my heart so much misery
I will not break the way you did,
You fell so hard
I've learned the hard way
To never let it get that far

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid

I lose my way
And it's not too long before you point it out
I cannot cry
Because I know that's weakness in your eyes
I'm forced to fake
A smile, a laugh everyday of my life
My heart can't possibly break
When it wasn't even whole to start with

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid

I watched you die
I heard you cry every night in your sleep
I was so young
You should have known better than to lean on me
You never thought of anyone else
You just saw your pain
And now I cry in the middle of the night
For the same damn thing

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side so I don't get hurt
Because of you
I try my hardest just to forget everything
Because of you
I don't know how to let anyone else in
Because of you
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty
Because of you
I am afraid

Because of you
Because of you

By the last chorus of the song, Sharpay was in tears yet again, belting the lyrics, adding emotion to song. Troy was stunned, he watched as Sharpay slid off the stool and onto the floor for what must have been the third time in fifteen minutes.

Just then, as Troy was about to step out of his hiding spot, the warning bell went off. Classes would start in five minutes.

He watched as she sharply turned her head to the clock on the wall. Shaking her head in sorrow. She took a few large deep breaths, claming herself down almost instantly. She grabbed her purse, pulling the pocket mirror out, examining her reflection.

"Well, at least acting was good for something," she said to herself, as she calmed herself down more. If others could act sad, she could act happy. She looked at herself, touching up her make up just enough so that no one could tell she had been crying. "You're the best damn actress in the world if people can't tell something's wrong," she told her reflection, attempting to smile but failing to pull it off. "Oh well," she muttered, putting her stuff away, "Ice Queen's don't smile…"

She got up, frowning, before taking a deep breath, setting her face, and walking out.

Troy hesitated a moment before finally leaving his hiding place. He stared at where Sharpay had been standing moments ago before looking at the door she went out of.

The bell rang again, making Troy look up at the clock. He was late, but that didn't seem to be the biggest problem of the day…that would be finding out just what Sharpay meant when she said be herself…she wasn't really an Ice Queen? Was she just acting that whole crying thing? Troy would have to find out…somehow…

A/N – So that's the end of Chappy one! It's a little weird, I know, but I'm thinking in the next chappy, Troy gets a better glimpse at just what Shapay acts like when she's not in school…

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.